Description: Stereo power amplifier configurable as monoblock. Inputs: Stereo XLR (balanced); unbalanced possible via supplied adapters, mono bridging via supplied adapter. Proprietary BurLink interface. Outputs: Two pair spade-lug binding posts. 20A IEC power inlet (C20). Maximum power output, stereo: 165Wpc into 8 ohms (22.2dBW), 275Wpc into 4 ohms (21.4dBW), 400Wpc into 2 ohms (20dBW); in mono, 565W into 8 ohms (27.5dBW), 785W into 4 ohms (25.95dBW); stable into any load at all frequencies. Damping factor (100Hz into 4 ohms): >1500. Gain (stereo, mono): 34.…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC, Vivaldi Upsampler Plus, and Vivaldi Master Clock; Innuos Statement Next-Gen Music Server and PhoenixNET network switch; Small Green Computer Sonore Deluxe opticalModule (2); Broadcom/Avago AFBR-5718PZ 1GB SX-SFP, Gen 5 Fiber Optic modules; Nordost QNet and QSource switch and linear power supply (2); Sonore Audiophile Linear Power Supply; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS with Ferrum Hypsos linear/switching hybrid power supply; Linksys MR9000 mesh router and Arris modem; Apple 2023 iPad Pro and 2017 MacBook Pro laptop with 2.…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Like the lower-power Burmester 216, which Jim Austin reviewed in January 2024, the Burmester 218 can be operated as a conventional two-channel amplifier or, by bridging the two output stages with the supplied adapter cable, as a monoblock. I performed a complete set of measurements in both modes on one of the review samples (serial number 2180142) with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, repeating some of the testing with the magazine's higher-performance APx555 system. I preconditioned the 218 by following the CEA's recommendation of running it in stereo mode at…
Please join us for a Weekend of celebration of our 25 years in high end audio in San Francisco.
Dates and times:
Friday, October 25th: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM Saturday, October 26th: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sunday, October 27th: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM Featuring premieres from: Technics Stenheim Audeze Woo Audio Ideon Audio Dynaudio Chord Electronics Audiovector Nordost YG Acoustics Luckily, we have been fortunate enough to have people like you support us, this Celebration is for you, thank you! The Celebration will start with our Friday Night Party (25th) with…
But first, the blowback I expected following my February 2014 column on Synergistic Research's Uniform Energy Field Technology room treatments never arrived—in fact, quite the opposite. My own positive experience of the UEF devices was confirmed by e-mails from readers who'd already used them, and from those who'd taken up Synergistic's offer of a money-back guarantee. Skeptics will charge that what I and these readers heard is evidence of confirmation bias, but people say this about any positive remarks made about audio components priced above $500.
The other day, I received an…
While stage size, transient clarity—and, especially, transient speed—were noted when I played my usual reference LPs recorded in concert at Carnegie Hall (Tony, Harry, the Weavers; footnote 2), it was two recordings of solo piano that demonstrated the Kai's dynamic and tracking abilities: Vol.1 of a series of direct-to-disc recordings of Beethoven's piano sonatas by Bernard Roberts (LP, Nimbus D/C 901; does anyone have a spare Vol.2 they'd care to send me?—footnote 3)—and John Lill performing works by Schumann on a restored 1964 Steinway: the Fantasy in C, Op.17; Faschingsschwank aus…
Editor's Note: This article is in part about depression and suicide. If you think of harming yourself, the National Suicide Hotline is there to help: 1-800-273-TALK.
When German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published The Sorrows of Young Werther in 1774, he intended for readers to finish it, but not, you know, to end it. To Goethe's disbelief, his novel sparked a spate of suicides. The title character, whose obsessive love for a married woman was unrequited, ended up shooting himself, and soon the copycatting started. Young men of the era would dress just as the fictional Werther had…
Less than two weeks before the start of Munich High End 2024, I spent several days in Faro, Portugal (footnote 1), touring the modern 1000-square-meter headquarters and manufacturing facility of digital-audio company Innuos. My hosts were Amelia Santos, chief executive officer, and Nuno Vitorino, chief technology officer.
Amid late-night meals, sumptuous lunches, tours of 8th-century castles and 13th-century churches, and a romp on Cacela Velha beach, we focused on a company that, 15 years on from its founding by Vitorino and Santos, makes music servers and streamers, network…
The Internet of Things has arrived at the stereo rack (footnote 1). Many hi-fi systems are now connected to the wider world, controlled by phones and tablets. Complex front panels with many switches and buttons have practically vanished; those still around are retro pieces or style statements. Little front-panel touchscreens with complex menu trees have been rendered vestigial or at least redundant. Designers of receivers, integrated amplifiers, and DACs must now at least consider incorporating a streaming module and a device-control app. In certain component categories and certain price…
We interrupt this tech talk for music
Having unpacked the H400 from its sturdy double box, I set it up in my office and connected it to my Amphion One18 nearfield speakers. While I dug further into the guts of the H400 (in the virtual sense, not literally), I started playing music. Because the only network-connection option is wired Ethernet, connecting to my home network required no fussing with passwords. I downloaded the Hegel Connect app to my iPhone 15, and it quickly found the H400. From the Home screen, I had immediate access to Airable internet radio and podcasts, and via…